Ask the moms: What surprised you most about becoming a mom?

Meet our mom panel:Lacey Major is the mom of two awesome kids, Riley (age 13) and Brice (age 7). She is the editor-in-chief of Pregnancy & Newborn. Checkout the Editor’s Letter in our magazine each month for more good-to-know widsom from Lacey.

Rachel Reiff Ellis is Associate Editor at P&N. She is mom to Noah, 7; Rosie, 3—and a brand new baby boy named Max! Want to know more about Rachel? You can follow her pregnancy journey on our Knocked Up blog.

Associate Editor Tracy Brown is mom to 4-month-old, Braxton. When she’s not busy perfecting her diaper changing routine, she loves to volunteer, dance, eat good food and watch college football. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, son and dog, CiCi.

Alyson West is an Associate Editor at P&N. She and her husband are delighted with their daughter, Alexandra, who is 3-months-old. When she’s not focused on moms and newborns, Alyson is a forensic actor for the federal government.

As a stay-at-home mother of two, Ginny Butler spends her days playing peek-a-boo, buckling and unbuckling, and explaining why stink bugs don’t make good pets. In her quiet hours, Ginny writes for P&N as contributing editor from a distance—she currently resides in Salt Lake City with her husband Shawn and children, Charlotte (5) and Finn (1).

Becoming a mom brings a slew of unexpected feelings. Though some are good while others are scary, there’s one emotion that outweighs them all. Here’s what our mom panel had to say about what surprised them most.

Lacey:I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, but I was most surprised by the overwhelming love I felt for my babies. Obviously I knew that I would love my kids quite a bit, but the way you feel about your child when she arrives in this world is an emotion that really can’t be described. My first pregnancy was (very) unplanned, and my water broke suddenly six weeks before my due date … the whole experience up until the point of delivery seemed very chaotic and uncertain, but as soon as I held her in my arms, I was at peace. And madly, madly in love with that perfect baby.

Rachel:I remember holding my son in the hospital literally just a few hours after he had been delivered, and coming to the realization that we were inextricably linked forever. Of course, I knew this was true about mothers and children, but it hit me like a ton of bricks that no matter where he was in the world from now on, a part of me would be there with him, tied with an invisible thread. It was overwhelming and humbling all at once. The amount of love I felt for him in that moment was huge, and it took my breath away.

Tracy:For me, becoming a mom was a rollercoaster ride of unknowns: surprise—you’re pregnant, surprise—you’re in early labor, surprise—you may never sleep again. But amid all the worries and fears that come with being a mom, there lies one glistening truth: you are able to love in a way that you never even believed possible. From the moment I saw Braxton, I knew my life would never be the same. There was just this little guy that I loved more than anything, more than myself even, and he relied on me for everything—to eat, to sleep, to be safe. Fulfilling his needs has taught me patience and self-giving in a way that I would’ve never experienced had I not been a mom.

Alyson:I knew I would love my child but I had no idea I would fall in love with her! I didn’t know that every squeal, quiet sigh, tiny smile and toe wiggle would make me love her even more. She amazes me!

Ginny: There are women who gush over strangers’ babies in the grocery line and volunteer their arms whenever a newborn appears at church. I was not one of those women, so I was astounded by the hold my baby had on my heart, and at how quickly she attained that grip. Becoming a mother, I experienced both a delightful losing and a confirming finding of myself. I think anytime we stretch ourselves to fill a new role, we experience some emotional turmoil, but there is an immense fulfillment in expanding one’s capacity to think, to create, and in this case, to love.

Join us each week in the month of May, as we ask our P&N mom panel to dish out their best advice on a variety of topics that matter to you.